The History of Father's Day

Do you know the origins of Father's Day?  I certainly didn't until this year...  My daughter's favorite word at the moment is Da-da and her separation anxiety is making it hard to leave at night for classes or in the morning for work.  It is now that I fully realize the importance of a father in the life of a child and have become even more grateful for the amazing example my father set for me and my brothers. 

To understand Father's Day we must look at Mother's Day which has its roots in local observances dating back to the Civil War.  In the 1860s "Mother's Work Days" was celebrated in West Virginia and in the 1870s activist Julia Ward Howe issued a "Mother's Day Proclamation."  In 1909 there were 45 states observing Mother's Day and the national holiday was made official by President Woodrow Wilson in 1914.  

Father's Day began at the local level in much the same way as Mother's Day.  In 1908 a city (AGAIN!) in West Virginia celebrated the "nation’s first event explicitly in honor of fathers, a Sunday sermon in memory of the 362 men who had died in the previous December’s explosions at the Fairmont Coal Company mines in Monongah."  In 1909 the daughter of a widower in Washington State began an effort to hold an equal celebration for fathers similar to the state run events for mothers.  While state and local celebrations were held and some national politicians commemorated fathers at different times, the day was not a national holiday until Richard Nixon made it official in 1972.

The long time between the creation of Mother's Day and Father's Day has many possible reasons but one I found most provocative came in the 1920s, "as one historian writes, they 'scoffed at the holiday’s sentimental attempts to domesticate manliness with flowers and gift-giving, or they derided the proliferation of such holidays as a commercial gimmick to sell more products–often paid for by the father himself'."  At that time men were seen as primarily breadwinners and not care givers so why celebrate them?  We have thankfully moved past that stereotype (for the most part) and now recognize the true impact of an engaged and supportive father on his children.

Happy Father's day to all the Dads, Grand Dads, Step-Dads and anyone else filling the role of Dad in a child's life.  You are a very important part of your child's upbringing and I hope we never forget that.


References:
http://www.history.com/topics/holidays/fathers-day
http://www.fathersdaycelebration.com/fathers-day-history.html